Fraga Announces She Will Seek Princeton Council Seat Again

Leticia Fraga, who was defeated in the Democratic primary for Princeton Council last June, announced Tuesday night that she again will run for a seat on the governing body this year.

“I am running for council so that every person who lives in Princeton can feel they are represented,” said Fraga in a prepared statement. “I’ll fight for fair and just policies, responsible budgets, and lasting solutions to our housing affordability crisis. After many years of working as an advocate from the outside in, I am eager to join the ranks of your elected leaders. As an elected official, I will continue to listen openly to people’s concerns and work with colleagues to find solutions that ensure Princeton is a place that thrives economically and maintains its small town feel.“

Fraga is chair of the board of trustees for the Latin American Legal Defense and Education Fund. She runs the organization’s community identification program, advocates for unaccompanied minors from Mexico and Central America in the public schools, and recently oversaw the organization’s leadership transition. She is a member of the board of trustees of Princeton Community Housing, the Princeton YWCA, and Send Hunger Packing. She previously served for five years as vice chair of Princeton’s Human Services Commission.

Fraga, who served as Princeton Mayor Liz Lempert’s campaign chair last year until she decided to run for office, was recently appointed by Lempert to serve on Princeton’s new Civil Rights Commission. Reviving the commission was a goal she and others on the human services commission pursued over the last few years.

“In my career as a civil rights specialist and years of community activism, I have honed my core values of hard work and justice,” she said. “As a representative of the people to the council, I will take on tough issues and work for community-based solutions that enhance Princeton by building on its many strengths.”

Originally from Mexico, Fraga grew up in Washington. “My parents spent their lives working hard and honestly to provide a better life for my siblings and me,” she said. “These same values of hard work and integrity have guided my own life.” She relocated from the West Coast to Princeton in 1999 with her husband Steven Nadler, an executive at Bristol Myers Squibb. They have 12 year-old twins who attend John Witherspoon Middle School. Fraga is also the mother of three grown children and a grandmother of seven.